New NavTrac Wi-Fi-enabled GPS Devices Support Asset and Inventory
Tracking From Inside Buildings to Around the World
ORLANDO, FL, RFID JOURNAL LIVE, April 27 /CNW/ - Ekahau Inc., a leading
provider of Wi-Fi-based Real Time Location Systems (RTLS), today announced
that its Wi-Fi location tracking software is being integrated into GPS
receivers designed by NavSync Ltd., a division of The Connor-Winfield Corp.
With this innovative combination of wireless technologies, these new tags
vastly expand the ability to track the location of assets and inventory in any
environment - from inside a building or across a campus environment to
anywhere around the world.
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"Being able to track the location of assets and inventory both indoors
and in complex or large outdoor environments with a single device over Wi-Fi
is a game-changing innovation," said Tuomo Rutanen, vice president of Business
Development at Ekahau. "We are excited to be working with NavSync to bring to
market a solution that will significantly enhance the usefulness of location
tracking applications in a wide variety of industries - such as container
yards, logistics depots and open pit mining operations - where Wi-Fi can be
leveraged for connectivity and GPS satellite visibility is available."
The Wi-Fi-enabled GPS tag combines NavSync's NavTrac high performance GPS
module with Ekahau's location protocol. Ekahau location protocol is available
free of charge as part of the Located by Ekahau program, which enables adding
positioning to Wi-Fi-compliant devices. In order to begin tracking those
devices, users need to deploy Ekahau Positioning Engine (EPE) server software,
which can be installed centrally or remotely to support several customer sites
over IP networks from a single server location.
NavSync's NavTrac is a fourth-generation design that has gone through
extensive testing and Wi-Fi/GPS integration, and has been proven in a wide
variety of applications. NavTrac's powerful GPS solution delivers low signal
strength GPS tracking data for outdoor and other GPS coverage areas, while the
Ekahau Positioning Engine and its patented algorithms are used to calculate
the precise real-time location in indoor environments or campus settings where
GPS visibility may be limited. Unlike other proprietary solutions, Ekahau's
technology enables location tracking over any existing standard Wi-Fi network,
without the need for additional hardware or network infrastructure.
The Ekahau-enabled NavTrac Wi-Fi GPS tag is the first solution available
in the market that will operate with GPS satellites and any brand or version
of standard Wi-Fi network, to deliver a real-time tracking solution that can
be quickly deployed and requires little or no upfront infrastructure costs.
Location information from the tags can be seamlessly integrated into a variety
of enterprise applications using National Marine Electronics Association
(NMEA) GPS standard protocols, as well as Ekahau's HTTP/XML application
programming interface.
"The new Ekahau-enabled NavTrac Wi-Fi GPS receivers provide precise
tracking capabilities in tough environments, such as urban canyons and complex
indoor areas, while transporting information over any Wi-Fi network
infrastructure," Dave Jahr, director of Business Development for NavSync. "The
unique combination of NavSync's GPS and Ekahau's Wi-Fi technologies in a
single product makes the NavTrac and Ekahau RTLS an indispensable solution for
all current and future wireless tracking applications."
The Ekahau-enabled NavTrac Wi-Fi-enabled GPS receivers will be available
from NavSync and Ekahau in the third quarter 2009.
About NavSync Ltd.
NavSync Ltd designs and manufactures GPS receiver products specializing
in timing and custom navigational applications. NavSync GPS technology enables
tracking and acquisition in areas normally outside standard GPS receiver
environments. NavSync Assisted GPS receivers not only track, but also acquire
satellites under very harsh signal conditions such as indoor applications and
severe urban canyons. NavSync is a division of The Connor-Winfield
Corporation, which is a privately held, US based electronics product
manufacturer.
After incorporation in 1963, Connor-Winfield focused primarily on
designing and manufacturing quartz based timing circuits and oscillators for
use in a wide variety of electronics applications. In the 1990's,
Connor-Winfield expanded into other product areas, while maintaining a
continued focus on its core timing roots. Currently, Connor-Winfield is an
international company with diversified businesses engaged in electronic
component manufacturing, software products, contract manufacturing, and the
distribution of M2M OEM components and end user product solutions. For more
information about NavSync, please visit http://www.navsync.com.
About The Connor-Winfield Corporation
Founded in 1963, The Connor-Winfield Corporation (C-W), based in Aurora,
IL, manufactures and markets custom-designed electronic components used to
control the frequency and timing of signals in electronic circuits. Its timing
products are used in infrastructure equipment for the telecommunications and
network equipment industries, as well as in electronic systems for military
applications, avionics, medical devices, instrumentation, industrial devices,
and global positioning systems. Other C-W business units include NavSync Ltd.
(GPS receiver manufacturer), Janus Remote Communications (wireless networking
products for data collection and sensor networks), Hybrid Circuit Works
(custom manufacturing and thick film services), IT3 (ERP Business software
solutions), Nova Systems Products, LLC (Combustible gas sensor equipment),and
Atria International LLC (Appliance controls design and manufacturing), and 9
Co., LLC (Custom ASIC developer).
About Ekahau Inc.
Ekahau Inc. is the industry leader in providing Wi-Fi-based RTLS
solutions. Ekahau's RTLS technology is routinely recognized for its superior
performance in customer benchmarking and competitive evaluations of
Wi-Fi-based location tracking solutions. Ekahau's customers, including several
Fortune 500 companies worldwide, are realizing the benefits of Wi-Fi based
location services and innovative Wi-Fi network planning and optimization
tools. Ekahau's solutions are being used in more than 150 hospitals around the
world, as well as by manufacturers, mining/oil/gas companies, government
agencies and the military. Ekahau partners include wireless software
developers, leading system integrators and international OEM partners, who
develop and market wireless enterprise applications. Ekahau is a U.S. based
corporation, with offices in Saratoga, Calif.; Reston, Va.; Helsinki, Finland;
and Hong Kong, China. For more information about Ekahau, please visit at
http://www.ekahau.com.
(c) Copyright 2009, Ekahau, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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